1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to determining the physical dimensions and configuration of structures and/or systems as a precursor to the design of modifications to structures and/or systems, and more particularly, determining the physical dimensions and configuration of the structures and/or systems by analyzing hidden objects utilizing X-ray backscatter technology.
2. Background
There is a very large market for modification of structures and/or systems, especially military and commercial aircraft. The greatest challenge faced by modification designers is uncertainty about the geometrical configuration of a given structure and/or system, such as an aircraft. Often, the legacy data (drawings, planning, tooling) is insufficient to determine the present configuration of the product, resulting in significant costs for re-design of new systems being placed on the structure and/or system.
Conventional methods of determining configurations for modifying an aircraft have been the use of digital photographs, panoramic cameras, and line of sight reverse engineering technology. These methods have had only limited success in solving the problem due to the limited access to the aircraft. The time frame for modifications is relatively short. Currently, designers must wait until the structure and/or system can be partially disassembled before line of sight reverse engineering determination/verification of geometric configurations of hidden objects can be performed.
As a result, there is a high need for collecting geometrical definition data of hidden objects in structures and/or systems. A non line of sight reverse engineering method could significantly reduce the current engineering lead time incurred after an aircraft is interred. Therefore, what is needed is a method and system for determining the geometric configuration of the structure and/or systems for use in designing modifications, without having to remove parts of the structure before designing the modification.